An Angel! From Where?
by Souseiki no Tasogare
Summary: Gaara/OC I was born an Angel of Death, destined to become powerful and nearly immortal. When I was small, I befriended a boy and his demon. Soon after my mother died and I was forced to live in the confides of Konoha. I can't acknowledge those around me. I must abide by the laws and keep my secrets safe. But I can hold a grudge, and it's time I broke the rules for him, for Gaara
1. Prolouge

**Summary: **Ceris is an Angel of Death and is half human. Because of her lineage, she is shunned and underestimated. As a child, her human mother was the only one protecting her. And while the mirage floating isle of Umougakure travels near Suna, Ceris befriends a boy shunned like herself. But her mother's fatal illness causes her to leave sooner than expected. And for the last seven years she was in Konoha. She just wants her friend back. Even if it kills her.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters, places, or whatnot created by Masashi Kishimoto. Everything else that is not covered by his copyright belongs to me. Sorry if something is similar to something you may have read or written, but I am not doing it on purpose and I am very much trying to be original.

**Warning:** This story has been rated** T** because I like to be detailed, so I will mention: blood, maybe gore, and some vulgar language.

The clouds passed by slowly as we went to a place Mommy called Suna. She said it was a really pretty place filled with lots of sand. Mommy also said that it was really hot, and the sun made a pretty sunset every night. I didn't like the cold, so I was really happy we got to go to Suna this week.

"Ceris, not to close to the edge Honey," Mommy called out from behind me.

"Yes Mommy!" I said as I ran over to her chair. She was paler than normal but looked happy.

I fidgeted and looked up at her, making her smile even wider. "Okay, what do you want Ceris?"

"If I find a friend in Suna, can we stay?" I asked her with chibi eyes my neighbor Celia taught me. She said that the adults wouldn't refuse if I made a face with those eyes.

"If you be a good girl and get me to bed I could ask the Kage if we could stay longer." Mommy was real quiet, but I could still hear the truth in her voice.

"Okay." I ran over and helped her up. Ever since I was three, mommy had a bad illness and needed help getting around. She said it might get very bad at times and might need my help.

When we got inside, she went to the kitchen and got some tea before pushing me to my room. "Night Honey."

I walked to my room to get ready for bed. "Night Mommy!"

I got my PJ's on and crawled into my bed. Of course I didn't fall asleep, I only looked like it. I only pretended to sleep for Mommy's sake. When I tried to sleep I wouldn't dream and would be engulfed in blackness. It was really scary and I hated it. But I almost always fell asleep because it was really boring just lying in bed.  
**_**  
**The Next Day**

The morning birds that were on the island were pretty and had all sorts of colors for feathers. They sang in the sakura tree outside our house and always woke me up when I was stuck in the darkness.

I ran to go get Mommy up like I did every day, being careful not to make too much noise as I struggled to open the door to Mommy's room. She was still in her blue futon and snoring like a bear as I peeked in.

_'Mommy sounds funny when she sleeps.'_ I giggled to myself as I neared her bed as silently as I could.

"Wake up Mommy!" I sang to her.

She groaned before she flipped over so that she was facing me now. "Morning Honey." She smiled "I think I can walk on my own today."

"Yay!" Mommy was finally going to get better. I ran outside to the edge of the island that was a couple yards away from our house. I looked down and through the clouds. There was a lot of sand and a pretty village in the distance.

"MOMMY! We're almost at Suna!" I screamed as I ran as fast as I could back into the house. Mommy was in the kitchen making breakfast.

She smiled at me before she put some eggs and bacon in front of me. "If you eat your breakfast now and get ready you might be finished by the time we get there."

"Alright!" I said before I dug in.

I wasted no time cleaning my plate as I finished eating. Rushing back to my room I took a bath and brushed my hair, dried off, and grabbed a red and tan kimono with black socks. I put them on as fast and neatly as I could so I could meet Mommy back outside.

"Why the rush Honey?" Mommy said from behind me. Of course I didn't know this so I got startled and jumped.

"I want to make a new friend that's my age!" I whined to Mommy. She sighed when looking down at me. "Everybody is like ancient compared to me!" I continued.

"Really now?" Mommy mused as she fixed the sash on my kimono.

"Oh, not you Mommy! You're still young and pretty." I said quickly.

"Nice save." Mommy laughed at me as she finished. "Now go ask the Kage for me if she can send us down, alright?"

"Wait! Were already there?!" I screamed excitedly.

"Yes. While you were taking a bath we got right outside the gates." Mommy said rolling her eyes.

"Be right back Mommy!" I said as I ran out and onto the street in the front of our house.

_'Kagey-Sama's office is this way!'_ I thought to myself as I ran full speed.

**At the Sorakage's Office**

"Kagey-Sama! Mommy is feeling better and says I can go to Suna!" I screamed as I ran in.

"Still loud as always Ceris?" said the tired voice of our Kage.

"Yes! So may I go? Pretty please?" I begged with chibi eyes.

She looked at me very seriously, like mommy did when the older kids were mean to me. "Yes, but make sure you go as a HUMAN!"

"Yes Kagey-Sama!" I said before bowing and running back to Mommy.

**At the Gates of Suna**

"Ceris be careful. I'm going to be shopping if you want to find me O.K?" She said before we walked through the gates and showed the guards our passes.

Kagey-Sama said she had placed a genjutsu on me so that Mommy always knew where I was. She also said that I was being watched by a Guardian. So if something happened the Guardian would protect our secrets. So I got to have as much fun as possible.

"Alright Mommy!" I said running to the park I had seen all the way from Sora.

The people and merchants became nothing but one big blur. I took the fastest speed I could but still look human at the same time. It was hard to tell, Mommy was the only other human that I was familiar with.

"Ahhh! It's Gaara!" A girl screamed.

"Forget the ball!" Shrieked another girl.

"Everybody run for your lives!" some boy shouted.

I ran faster burning with curiosity to see lots of kids running from a cute red headed boy. He was curled up on a swing crying as he clutched a teddy bear to his chest. I saw a kick ball rolling away from his other very limp and trembling hand. I decided to go over and stand near him until he looked up at me.

"Aren't you going to run too?" He cried to me.

"No! I think you're cute and why should I?" I said truthfully before I hoped down on a swing next to him.

He looked away sadly as he started to cry again as he said, "because, I have the demon named Shukaku sealed inside of me."

"So what! I don't care!" I said cheerfully. He looked at me as if I was missing something.

"Shukaku could try to kill you and it would be all my fault you're dead." Tears fell down his face as I thought.

I remembered Mommy talking about there being special people that had a demon sealed inside of them. She called them a Gincharike or something like that. Mommy said that one of her friends used to be a Gincharike. But her friend died with her baby son because the demon got loose. Mommy also told me that Gincharike are usually mean because they don't have any friends and people are really mean to them.

"Aren't you going to say something or run away in fear?" He asked when I didn't answer him.

"Well," I said pausing to think, "I would say that I would forgive you and Shukaku if you guys hurt me. Or even if you killed me I would still forgive you both. Forever and ever." I said gently to him as I started to move my feet back and forth so that the swing started moving.

"Really?" He asked looking at his teddy bear.

"Mmhhhmmm!" I hummed loudly so he could hear me. "You can be my first friend!"

He looked up with hope and doubt in his pretty blue eyes. I decided he needed something special. I held my hand out to him with a goofy grin on my face. He reached for it slowly. When he grabbed my hand I pulled him up and gave him one of my famous bear hugs.

Sand started to surround me as he was yanked from my grasp. I started to feel it tighten around me when I heard him shout, "Why did you attack me?!"

I was now in the air with sand covering everything except my head. "Attack you? What do you mean?" I looked at him funny. "I was just giving you one of my bear hugs."

"... What's a hug?" He asked me.

_'Why wouldn't he know what a hug was?'_ I frowned. "Can you put me down so I could talk more easily?"

He set me down next to him. "So what's a hug?"

The sand was warm and smelled of the earth. There was a rusty smell in it too, I really liked that smell.

He looked at me as he waited for my answer. "A hug is something special you can give to a friend, what people who love you give, or as a way to cheer someone up." I said lying down and looking up at were Sora was floating.

"Oh." He laid next to me and started asking me questions. "Do you think I'm a monster?"

"No, just because you have a demon doesn't mean you're a monster." I said thinking of a question to ask. "What's your demon like?"

"He's a sand raccoon who used to be sealed in a teapot before me." He said simply.

"COOL! I love sand and raccoons." I said shooting up.

He was quiet as he looked at me with his dark eyes and I grinned. He looked away from me and I scooted really close to him.

"What's sucking up? Shukaku says you're doing that." He asked me.

"I don't know. But I think raccoons are strong, clever, and perfect in every way natural." I said going on.

He paused for a minute and said, "Shukaku says that there's something wrong with you."

It almost sounded like he was saying something mean, but he sounded like he was also telling the truth.

"Thank you Shukaku! Hey Gaara wanna play tag?" I asked hopefully as I got restless.

"Sure but only if you tell me something." He looked up at me, "why are you being nice to me?"

"Cause I wanted to!" I said reaching down and tagging him and started to run. I looked to see him just standing there.

I stopped running and leaned my face to the side. "What's wrong?"

He looked down with a really sad expression. "I don't know how to play."

"Well silly, you just have to catch me and tag me. And if you do, it's my turn to chase you!" I waved my hands in the air.

He nodded and I felt something around my ankle. Sand held me still and he walked up to me and touched me. "Like this?"

I nodded and reached out to touch him, only for the meanie to move away from me. "Can you let me go? I wanna play."

He grinned and disappeared with his sand. I looked around and spotted him far away from me. I ran, and for the rest of the day we ran around tagging each other.

"Ceris honey, where are you?" I heard Mommy shouting to me. She always did this so she didn't look sus- su- suspicious.

"Come on Gaara! You need to meet my Mommy!" I said grabbing his hand and pulling.

"But what if she doesn't like me?" He asked scared.

"She will like you! My Mommy is awesome that way!" I said still tugging.

He started to come more willingly as I followed the life energy Mommy gave off. She was near a bench with a lot of bags.

"Mommy!" I screamed as my Mommy turned around.

"Ceris where were- oh! Who is this?" she asked when she turned to my voice.

"Mommy, this is my friend Gaara! Can we stay at Suna longer? I like Gaara and the village." I begged bringing out the Chibi eyes.

"I want to stay here longer too; I will ask the Kage if we ca. Now say good-bye to Gaara-kun, honey." she said picking up all the bags.

"Okay!" I turned around and let go of his hand. "Bye-bye Gaara-kun!" I leaned over and kissed his cheek. His face turned the shade of his hair.

"Uh, bye! He squeaked out and ran off to his house that he had pointed out earlier.

Mommy was laughing all the way home, which confused me greatly.

**The Next Day in Sora**

Mommy was sick again. She said I could still go to Suna only if I was going to play with Gaara. I wanted to stay and help, but I also wanted to play with Gaara again.

"You sure Mommy?" I asked.

"Go on honey. I'll be all right." She said in labored breaths, but she still smiled.

"Alright! Bye-bye Mommy!" I said in my cheerful voice.  
**_  
Gates of Suna**

"Weren't you here yesterday kid?" The older guard questioned me.

"Yep!" I responded.

"Where's your mom?" The other guard asked.

"Sick at home." I said glumly.

"Oh! Well come in then. I hope your mother feels better." The older guard said to me in a gentle voice.

"Thank you mister! I'll tell her you wanted her to feel better." I said being happy again.

I heard the other guard say something and I listened as I skipped on ahead. "What does she mean at home? Nobody lives out there."

"She's probably from a traveling caravan. A few others came here also and were dressed similarly. And the Kazekage gave them permission. So don't worry." The nicer man sad as he showed me forward.

I ran back to the park and the swing set that I had met Gaara at. The wind blew up dust and sand as I picked up speed. When I got there nobody was there. I decided to go on the sing and wait for him.

"Ceris! You came back!" I turned to see Gaara running with his teddy bear in his hand.

"Gaara! Of course I came back, I wanted to play again! Wanna go see something cool?" I asked hoping he would say yes.

"Yeah! Where are we gunna go?" He asked with excitement.

"You have to promise to keep it a secret from everybody." I said holding out my pinky finger.

He looked at it and tilted his head to the side. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Well, you're supposed to wrap your pinky around mine and promise!" I said giggling.

"Okay!" He said as he wrapped his pinky with mine. "I promise I won't tell anybody!" He said before we unwrapped our hands just to hold them.

"We have to leave Suna so I can show you!" I said as we ran to a secret passage we had found while playing tag yesterday. It smelled yucky and had lots of creepy puppets on the walls. ;)( Only one guess to who made it!) It went to this cliffy area where you could see all of Suna if you went to the edge.

"Kagey-Sama said I couldn't show anybody. But you're not anybody! You're my best friend!" I said happily.

"Your my best friend to!" he said gleefully back to me.

"Remember you promised!" I said as I let go of his hand and took a few steps back. He looked waiting to see what would happen.

"Rise of the Angel!" I yelled as I made the hand signs needed to get rid of my disguise. A bright golden light surrounded me and blinded Gaara.

"Look now!" I said to Gaara wanting to see his face.

He stared at me a couple seconds before asking, "what are you?"

"I'm half-angel and half-human!" I exclaimed. "What do you think of me?"

"WOW! You have pretty wings! Can I feel?" He said as ran over to marvel at them. The obsidian wings shined in the desert sun as I shifted them.

"Yep!" I said as I extended my right wing out.

"The feathers are really soft!" He exclaimed.

"Do you want one?" I asked cheerfully.

"Yes!" he said jumping up and down.

I reached for my wing and pulled out one of my softest feathers. "Angel feathers are really rare so you can't show anyone." I warned him with a smile. "Owww!" I said as I looked at where the pointy end of the feather had slipped into me skin.

"You okay?!" Gaara asked worriedly.

The blood welled up on my finger and was a glittery silver-red color. I started to cry when the wound throbbed with pain. I didn't like pain.

"Why is your blood all silvery?" he asked when he saw the bleeding.

"Angels have different blood than humans, so it tastes different and looks different." I told him as I rubbed my tears away with my free hand.

"Can I try it? Shukaku won't let me get hurt so I don't know what pain feels like or what blood tastes like." He said sadly.

"You can, but only if you kiss it better after. That's what my Mommy always does." I told him while holding my finger out.

"Okay." He brought my finger to his lips and plopped it in his mouth. He ran his tongue over it and swallowed. Something happened to my head and I could hear somebody else's voice.

_'Careful brat. That blood tastes good and I know you don't want to kill her. I would have killed her already but killing an angel is considered a taboo that not even we demons cross.' _ Came a rough voice from Gaara's direction. With those words Gaara took my finger out of his mouth and kissed my cut.

_"Gaara is so nice! I want to stay in Suna with him! But what was that voice I heard?"_ I thought in happiness.

"What voice? Nobody else but you and me is here." He said puzzled.

"But wasn't somebody talking to you and how did you hear my thoughts?" I asked in turn.

_'Oh shit! That blood did something boy! I feel like I should remember though, since bonds like these are unheard of between humans and angels.'_ Roared the voice again.

"There it is again. Uh, is that Shukaku?" I asked him as I thought about what he said.

"You can hear him? But I thought only I could." He said thinking out loud.

_'I think you two can read each other's minds now. I have a feeling it was that blood you drank.' _ Shukaku commented. _'I wouldn't tell anybody though you brats, it could get all of us in danger, with the… higher ups.'_

_'Shukaku you sound so smart! Do you think we will be all right?' _ I thought loudly catching on fast.

_'You should be fine Girly. Now if you want to keep those wings a secret get rid of them! Somebody is coming!' _He thought quickly to me.

"Decent of the Angel!" I whispered quietly as I made more hand signs. A black smog surrounded me and I lost my wings. The only thing left was the ebony feather in my hand.

"Here Gaara-Kun! Keep it safe for me! That's somebody from my village and that can only mean that I have to go back home! Best friends forever no matter what! Promise me okay?! I said quickly sticking my pinky out with one hand and handed him the feather to him with the other.

"Promise!" He said gloomily.

"Ceris?! Where are you?! Your mother is very sick and is in critical condition! She wants to see you before she is forced into surgery!" Came the voice of one of the really strong angels that worked in the village.

"What! Sorry Gaara-Kun I have to go! Mommy is in trouble!" I said running to the Gaurdian. I caught up to her and waved to Gaara as a farewell. He waved back with the forgotten teddy bear by his feet as we went to the pick-up point.

Too bad I didn't know that would be the last time I would see him for seven years and running.

**This chapter is really sucky, I know, but 6 year olds aren't exactly the most observant and that I couldn't put anything else.****She says Kage as Kagey and Ceris sounds like (S air is [the s's are supposed to sound like sss not zzz]).**


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary: **Ceris is an Angel of Death and is half human. Because of her lineage, she is shunned and underestimated. As a child, her human mother was the only one protecting her. And while the mirage floating isle of Umougakure travels near Suna, Ceris befriends a boy shunned like herself. But her mother's fatal illness causes her to leave sooner than expected. And for the last seven years she was in Konoha. She just wants her friend back. Even if it kills her.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters, places, or whatnot created by Masashi Kishimoto. Everything else that is not covered by his copyright belongs to me. Sorry if something is similar to something you may have read or written, but I am not doing it on purpose and I am very much trying to be original.

**Warning:** This story has been rated** T** because I like to be detailed, so I will mention: blood, maybe gore, and some vulgar language.

**Recap: Gaara and Ceris were talking outside Suna when Ceris told him her secret. She was then taken away because her mother was sick.**

The rain was pouring down as I walked back home from training. My mind was reeling with dizziness and blood was pouring from my wounds that had appeared when I had jumped up into a pine tree full force while holding 16 kunai. Not only had I hit my head but I had gashed my stomach when one of the knives had gotten out of my grasp. It was a training session that had gone awry. Admittedly today was one of the worst training sessions I had ever had.

The streets were empty of people, not even an animal was out tonight. Nobody was around to see my red and silver blood, truth be told nobody was up. One it was 1:23 A.M, two it was a Monday, and three I had cast a simple Genjutsu to keep everybody asleep. Only the higher level ninja were up, such as the Jonin and ANBU, but they were unaware of my presence as I hid among the shadows. I didn't want anybody else to know about what I was, so I took as many precautions as I could.

_'Gaara's the only one that needs to know. But I feel like I just want to have everybody know so I can be myself more.'_ I thought as I walked inside my house.

It was a two story house with one master bedroom, two guest rooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, a media room, a dining room, and a basement. It was near the gates of the Leaf village and had a secret entrance to the forest in case of emergencies. A sakura tree was in the back of the house next to a small pond filled with fish. The whole thing was beautiful, but lonely.

_'Of course it's lonely. I'm the only one living in it.'_ I thought angrily.

The current Hokage said it belonged to my mother before she had been whisked away by my father. I would have gotten rid of it, but the thought of it being my mother's was too much to bear. If anything, I was going to give it to somebody who actually needed it or deserved it once I was allowed to leave the Leaf village. But that could be years from now, so I made myself as comfortable as possible inside the large premises. Sadly, I found it hard to be comfortable with all the empty space.

The night my mom died was the night I was forced out of Suna and away from my only friend besides my neighbor in Umougakure. The Umoukage had done everything but couldn't save my mother. She decided I should look and find my Ward in the Leaf village. Nobody knew who that person was and I wasn't allowed to leave the village until I found whoever it was. So when it came to missions, I was stuck within a certain radius of the village otherwise my body would by wracked by unbelievable pain. It was a price for my freedom, if being caged was considered being free.

_'I need to forget about that. I should worry about the upcoming Chunin exams.'_ I thought forcefully.

But it was not enough; I couldn't get Gaara, Suna, and my denied freedom from my mind. The first few days I was away I tried our telepathic link, but discovered that distance affected it. And with that being our only way of communication, I could not tell him of me leaving or of my mother's death. For all he knew, I had abandoned him after that little incident up on that mesa. As I grew older, I learned that it was best to just deal with the uncertainty and guilt until I could find another way to contact him.

"I need a shower, a nice, hot shower." I said out loud, climbing up the many stairs before I had made it to my bedroom.

Walking to the bathroom in the master bedroom, I started to strip. Just about every article of clothing was stained and shredded beyond repair, which left it with one destination; the trash bin. I grabbed a tan towel on the way and walked towards the mirror to examine myself. A six inch long gash ran down the left side of my belly button. I had minor scrapes on my arms and legs that lightly seeped blood. Leaves and blood coated my hair in a tangled mess, streaking my neck and face with a sickening residue. Dirt caked my face, hands, and feet in a thick, muddy layer that smeared whenever I touched something. Final analysis: I look like crap.

"Shit. Now I know I need a shower!" I muttered as I started running to my bathroom. I got the hot water ready before I walked back to the door to close it. The steam would build up and keep the bathroom warm when I was done. Walking back slowly I grabbed my necessities before I made it back to the stall. Shifting the door out of the way took no time as I almost jumped into the steaming water. It took me less than a second of watching the water to see it turn from clear to a shiny, murky maroon color. Grapping the soap I started to scrape the mud and blood off my hands and feet. The scrapes that were on my arms and legs were now gone while the wound on the left side of my belly button was quickly depleting to nothing.

It was nearly impossible to get the leaves untangled from my matted hair, but with time I was able to comb the foliage out with my fingers. The blood left shimmery, pink highlights in my white-blonde hair. Little pink soap bubbles dyed by the blood in my hair splattered onto the floor, finally telling me that my vigorous grooming was paying off. Maneuvering my head beneath the streaming liquid, with my eyes squinted shut, the thick stream of water washed the shampoo over my body and down the drain. Satisfied with my work, I blindly reached for the nobs in order to turn off the shower.

I wiped the water from my eyes before opening the shower door. A soft fluffy towel rested on the counter not too far away from my reach. Before someone could even say 'Holy!' the towel was scrubbing gently over my skin in order to get dry. After getting the last of the moister from my limbs I walked over to the floor to ceiling mirror. Examining my body, that seemed more like 15 rather than 13, I noticed that I needed to clean the gunk now all over the bathroom. The tiles had bloody, muddy footprints, the door had a shiny handprint next to the nob, and my sink had leaves from when I reached for my hair products. I opened the door to my room and saw much more debris on my sandy colored wooden floor.

"Oopps! Well, too late to complain about being careless!" I giggled out to myself.

Unleashing my profound ability to control light, I terminated the offending little leaves and muddy blood stains. Within seconds, my room was once again clean and practically spotless.

"Pretty." I yawned into my hand as I stretched.

Not even bothering to get my Pajamas from the dresser drawer all the way across the room, I walked to my king sized bed. Before climbing in to the extremely inviting bed, I undid the Genjutsu that I had over the entire village. When I was about to get in however, a wave of fatigue washed over my frame and made me pitch forward.

_'Looks like my six months are up,'_ I thought slipping into the silk sheets. The texture, along with the satin pillows and fur blankets, almost knocked me out right then and there.

I almost never slept or used this bed except for at the six month mark where my body shut down to adjust. Since my body ran differently than any full blooded human's, I needed less time to sleep. But it was horrible. When I slept, all that I got was a black void where I felt nothing. Nothing at all.

_'Hello emptiness...'_ I slurred before going unconscious.

**The Dream**

Instead of the usual black nothing that I always went to when I slept; I was in a forest in the shadow of a tree, clad in nothing but my birthday suit. It was beyond awkward, as it looked like I was slightly translucent in the dull moonlight. Leaning back into a tree so I could think, I crashed into the ground seconds after shifting my weight. My body had fallen through! I scrambled up and looked at the tree, trying to tell if there was anything off about it. When I found nothing, I tentatively lifted my hand to touch the bark. Only for my hand to pass through, with no feeling to accompany it.

Retracting my hand, I marveled at the sight. _'Strange, this has never happened before. Am I dreaming?_'

"Aaahhhhhhhhhh!" A deep voice screamed off to my right. My head snapped in the direction of the scream and heard the breaking of branches not far away. I ran to see what was happening to cause enough of a commotion that the forest had become dead silent with the exception of the ruckus. And if I didn't know any better, it sounded like a portly male.

Without any hesitation, I was bounding in the direction that the noise was heading for. In a couple more leaps I reached a glade that was bathed in the light of the full moon. It was the clearing that I trained in just earlier that night. Actually if I looked close enough, I could see metallic pink streaks on a beaten and ragged tree. Damn, I would have to take care of that first thing in the morning.

A large burly man came scampering through the trees from my left. He hid behind the tree that was mildly coated in my blood, breathing heavily as he shook. Both his eyes were wide with fear, the dull brown irises looking frantically about. His dark brown hair was cropped and disheveled. In all he reminded me of a rabbit being chased by a wolf.

_'!'_ I started and almost fell when an intense and bloodthirsty aura that practically exploded behind me.

"Who-!" I began but stopped as got a good look at the assailant. He had dark, blood red hair that looked wild and untamable. He was covered half-way in sand, which kept shifting and moving around like some constricting boa. He also had drool dripping from his grinning, almost fanged, mouth. He looked like a completely savage and rabid beast.

It was none other than my best friend Gaara.

"You will help me live by allowing me to kill you. Heheheh, so don't think you can hide from me, you stupid prey!" He growled out in evil chuckles.

He stalked up to where the man was hiding silently and reached forward with Shukaku's giant sand arm. The man gave a startled yelp, as he struggled against the sand. But it was futile as Gaara gave a shimmering, deranged smirk. Effortlessly he pulled the man up by his head and squeezed the demon's claws. The man was screaming before a chocked gurgle escaped his throat. Then with a twitch of the sand, the man's head caved in on itself and gore splattered all over. His still body was still contracting as it hit the grass in a heap.

"Pathetic!" He howled out loud. An enormous wave of sand shot from the arm and sent the corpse flying into the underbrush.

I was edging towards him, slowly and carefully. It wasn't that I was afraid of him, but more of that I didn't know how to react. The small boy I had known back in Suna had been sweet and misunderstood. Younger Gaara's eyes had shone with an innocent light that seemed to drag one in if they looked deep enough into the tropical depths. These eyes though were cold and screamed of what a predator would emit while hunting.

A flash or sea foam blue and I froze in my tracks, only a yard or so from the now heaving Gaara. Tiny ostentatious flecks of gold and black glimmered at me momentarily before his eyes became cold. The glare sent my way hurt so much, like I had been pierced with a spear of ice. Unintentionally I fell backwards onto the ground as I reeled away from him. This only seemed to set him off as a look worthy of being labeled unhinged crossed his face. His sand shot at me, only to phase through my form and hit the grass beneath me. Pure undulated rage marred his face as he tried again to attack me.

It failed. Miserably.

"Gaara," I trailed off, not knowing what to say.

He bared his teeth at me, like a feral animal. Once again he attempted at harming me with his sand, but this time he tried to constrict it around my body. Forcing myself off of the ground, I stood and took a step towards Gaara. His eyes almost looked panicked when he saw that his sand had done nothing to me. Making my steps deliberately as slow and obvious as possible, I advanced on the boy in front of me. Finally, I found the words I had been looking for as I neared the unwavering boy.

"… I'm beyond sorry. And wither you believe me or not is up to you. But I never meant to hurt you, I made a promise. One that intend to keep till my own death."

My hand automatically reached forward to touch his cheek, with a thought in mind that I'd only phase through, but my hand seemed to rest upon warm flesh. Within a second of being connected to the flesh, I was somewhere else entirely.

Blazing hot sand was surrounding me. The grains were sanding away at my feet and seemed to be surrounding something gargantuan. It was almost pitch black within what seemed to be a large cage with colossal bars that towered far above me. Beyond the shafts and perched on crumbling walls were small torches that held weak flames. Each circle of light cast dancing shadows around me and the cage I was nestled in. Streaks of dark blue zigzagged along the shadows and the gritty sand, going up and up to the large sand mountain.

"**What are you doing here!"** Roughly the sand constricted around me and brought me up into the air. **"Nobody is allowed in here but me you foolish little angel bitch!"**

"I don't know! Who are you?!" I struggled against the sands, searching for the dark and craggy voice that roared at me. "And where am I anyway?"

Suddenly I was jerked forward toward the large mountain until I was gazing into two golden eyes that were glaring menacingly at me. **"I'm the One Tailed Demon Shukaku! And you are inside my pathetic host's mindscape. Where I've been caged for the last twelve years! But not for long. He is slowly breaking under the strain of his incomplete seal and I will gain control before I break free!"**

"Wait," I whispered, eyes wide in awe. "You're Shukaku?"

"**What is it to you?"** He moved and I could make out the sand that completely covered his body. **"I doubt we've met before you worthless sack."**

Pangs of pain radiated from my heart that the demon, even though we had never really met in person, had forgotten me. But I didn't get much time to dwell on the hurt, as the cage and the crumbling walls started to shake violently. Shukaku's sand dropped me to the ground as he tried to keep his footing. The tremors slowly subsided, if only minutely. And when the area shook no more, I was just curled into a little ball gazing at the large demon.

He stared at me long and hard before taking a couple steps forward, bypassing me by his gargantuan steps. I turned around, only to see at the very edge of the cage was a small child. Whimpering and clutching his chest, the child cried out for its mother with agony ringing clear in his voice. The raccoon dog stared at the boy before whipping his tail harshly down into the sand behind it. Sand came flying at me, and I reacted on instinct. No sand hit my immediate body, well it did but not the parts I expected.

Long obsidian wings that absorbed any light that happened upon them were positioned in front of me like a feathery shield. "Wha-! But how?"

A deep chuckling filled the place, causing me to snap my attention to Shukaku. **"Now I remember. You're that idiot girl who visited Suna all those years ago. The one that broke my host's fragile and crippled heart." **His golden eyes were filled with cruel mirth. **"And like I'd said earlier, this is **_**Gaara's**_ **mindscape. Anything you think can become a reality in here. But most importantly, the form you take within a dreamscape is your **_**true**_** form."**

"I'm in Gaara's… mind." It took a second for it to finally kick in before, "Than that's…"

"**My favorite plaything. His mind hasn't grown since the day you'd left him." **He paused, this time with the slight satisfaction that had been in his eyes. **"It's so pathetic really. He gets smarter, but thinks like a child with every situation. But it does make him easier to manipulate…" **Shukaku trailed off at the end, glancing back at the quivering and whimpering child.

Slowly rising, I brushed away the sand at my nude form. Then I recalled that whatever I thought of in here, could become a sort of side reality. So, I focused on something that could at least cover me. And then suddenly there was fabric rubbing against most of my upper torso, with it slightly swishing around my thighs. It was a simple dress, white as snow and softer than silk, but I didn't care at the moment. The child was still crying.

Briskly I started to make my way towards the small form on the ground. He looked up, and I was met with eyes that rivaled that of a tropical sea, each one spilling forth tears upon his pale face. His hair was wild and the shade of blood, covering up a small scar on his forehead that rested above his left eye. As soon as he saw me, he was shying away from my form with wide and uncertain eyes. Fear was evident as he sat huddled and trembling. It was almost heartbreaking.

Suddenly the ground quaked as the massive demon fell down onto the floor. **"He's highly unstable, as you've seen earlier. So I suggest you be careful," **he paused and grinned down at me, **"but breaking him even more than he already is is very useful for me. Either way, I win.**

I stared at the demon before kneeling down next to the child. "What's wrong?"

"It hurts! And I don't know why!" His hand clenched even tighter over his chest. "Why does it hurt?"

"I don't know why it hurts, but it might be because somebody had done something mean to you." I muttered reaching out to touch his hand. He flinched and I stopped when the room vibrated a tiny bit, which caused sand and dust to drop from the ceiling. "It's okay; I promise I will never hurt you on purpose."

His eyes narrowed before he accused, "How do I know that? Other people have hurt me before. And now it hurts right here."

I paused putting a hand over my own heart, "Well, I was hurt too. I still do. But I don't want anybody else to hurt like that."

"How," he moved slightly closer to me before continuing, "Did you get hurt?"

Well, that was a good question. I mean I know how, but it was kinda hard to explain. "My mom died when I was really small, and my dad had died before I was born. And the same day my mom died, I was forced to leave my best friend behind. I hadn't known him for a long time, but he was somebody I knew I could trust no matter what."

He glanced at me, no longer crying. "You could trust him?"

"Yeah, he was a good friend of mine." I said quietly gazing very fondly at the child. No, not the child, but _Gaara_. "Even though we had only known each for a couple days, he was somebody who knew what it was like to be different."

It seemed like Gaara had only just noticed the wings that hung loosely around my back, because he was staring at them like they were the Holy Grail. "To be, different…"

"You know," I said quietly, so as not to scare him, "you can touch them."

Gaara was silent and still for a long time, not even blinking at me. Finally he reached out for the tip of my right wing, which was the closest thing to him. "You promised."

My wing was gently tugged towards the child, as he gently felt up and down one of my primary feathers with his fingertips. After a while he crawled closer and closer until he was leaning against my lap, using my right wing as a blanket. His eyes closed, and his breathing evened out. He was fast asleep.

Everything that was surrounding me started to dim. Finally the only thing that was visible was the great sand tanuki, me, and Gaara's mind image. "Shukaku, what's happening?"

"**What makes you think that I'll tell you?" **He rumbled out in a sort of purr.

"Because you liked me way back then when you warned me about the Umou-Kage. If you hadn't warned me, the punishment would have been severe for both me and Gaara." I muttered as I stroked Gaara's hair.

"**The brat's fallen to sleep, so his mind is shutting down. I get my turn with his body and I've decided that I'll sleep myself. There's no good people to kill at this hour anyway." **He put his head down on his paws. **"And I'll tell him that you stopped by. Now scram, angel-bitch."**

And then I was gone.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, leave a review, so on and so forth. But seriously, thanks! ^w^ I appreciate it, especially if you leave a review. It helps, and it's a good motivation.**


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